CANADA: The Kettle Valley Steam Railway says its train, trestle and track survived the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland, British Columbia, though train service stays suspended while the fire remains active.

Kettle Valley Steam Railway locomotive No. 3716 on the Trout Creek Trestle
Kettle Valley Steam Railway locomotive No. 3716 crossing the Trout Creek Trestle in British Columbia. Illustrative photo. Photo: Nils Öberg, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The heritage railway operates a single steam locomotive, Canadian Pacific N2b 2-8-0 No. 3716, with only a diesel unit as backup for when it’s out of service — meaning any serious damage to the steam engine or its home station would have threatened the railway’s entire operating season, not just a portion of it. Crews evacuated the locomotive down the line as soon as the fire broke out on Aug. 7, according to Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

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Two separate confirmations, more than a week apart

At an Aug. 10 press conference, Summerland District Chief Administrative Officer Graham Statt told reporters the KVR train and the Trout Creek Trestle — the line’s signature 73-metre-tall structure — were both confirmed intact, according to Kelowna Capital News. Five days later, on Aug. 15, the railway itself issued its own update confirming its buildings and track had survived, per Railfan & Railroad. Because the fire remains active, train service will stay suspended until at least September.

A 1912 locomotive that backed up the “Royal Hudson”

The evacuated locomotive was built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1912 and worked in southeastern British Columbia for much of its career, including on the original Kettle Valley Railway before it closed in 1989. From 1975 to 2001, it ran as part of BC Rail’s steam fleet as the backup engine for the “Royal Hudson,” H1e 4-6-4 No. 2860 — not a royal locomotive itself, but the standby for one.

What to watch

The fire is still active, and no reopening date has been set beyond the confirmation that service remains suspended into September. Watch for whether inspectors find any damage beyond what’s already been confirmed, since the full extent of the fire’s proximity to the railway’s other structures hasn’t been detailed yet.

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